Tottenham Hotspur Son Heung-min said on Friday he was still waiting for club teammates Harry Kane and Dele Alli to wish him luck as he goes into Saturday's Asian Games final - with his career potentially on the line.
Son, who is chasing a gold medal that would spare him nearly two years of military service, revealed that the England pair had yet to contact him, despite a huge outpouring of support back in London.
"I wish they had texted!" Son told AFP before Saturday's crunch final against Japan in Cibinong, West Java.
"But I've had lots from [Spurs defender] Ben Davies, who sends me texts wishing me good luck before every game."
___________
Read more:
Son Heung-min seeking Asian Games gold with one eye on Spurs progress
UAE footballers edged out by Japan in Asian Games semi-finals
Son focused on 'trying to make country happy' after South Korea reach Asian Games final
___________
Son, 26, is 90 minutes away from the title and his last chance at an exemption that would allow him to see out his new five-year contract with Spurs.
Failure is not an option as without gold, the Premier League footballer faces spending 21 months in the military, as is compulsory for South Korean men.
"Of course it's an important game, it's a final, but it's normal - I'm not thinking of it any differently," he said, looking to play down the pressure.
"But we are ready and we're hungry to win the tournament. We have a lot of young, inexperienced players but when I look into their eyes I can see that hunger."
Spurs only released their potent forward to compete as one of three permitted over-age players at the far-flung, regional Under-23 tournament because he pleaded with the London club.
"I want to play for Spurs too but the main thing is my country," said Son, who played a captain's role in his side's 3-1 semi-final win over Vietnam in midweek.
"I want to make South Korean people happy and also hopefully Tottenham fans too back in London."
Nearly every able-bodied South Korean male is required to carry out 21 months of military service before the age of 28, although the government rewards Asian Games gold medals and Olympic medals of any colour with an exemption.
Son was selected to play at the 2014 Asian Games but his former club Bayer Leverkusen refused to release him - and the Koreans scooped gold.
His tears after South Korea's quarter-final defeat by Honduras at the 2016 Rio Olympics melted hearts, and thousands offered to do double their own military services in an online petition if Son could be pardoned.
But Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu warned the Koreans to expect a scrap in the Asian Games final after they edged the UAE 1-0 to reach the final.
"We know how strong South Korea are but my players are ready to leave everything out on that pitch," he said. "Every player needs to step up - be brave, be aggressive and be wise."
Well-wishers have taken to social media in support of Son, a fact not lost on the player.
"I'm so grateful for all the support," he said. "But there's one more game left and it's important for me to help bring the team together and focus on finishing the job."
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
